In the days and years leading up to the recent passage of Senate Bill 5052 Sen. Ann Rivers was the subject of angry emails, death threats, even a published caricature depicting her with fangs – all over what critics said was her lack of concern for medical-marijuana patients. Rivers’ Cannabis Patient Protection Act aligns the […]
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OLYMPIA… Two proposals from Sen. Ann Rivers are among the bills approved by the state Senate as Washington’s annual legislative session reached its halfway mark today. Senate Bill 5163, which has to do with fraud complaints against Medicaid-reimbursed care providers, won unanimous support Tuesday and has already been referred to the House Civil Rights and […]
OLYMPIA…Marking the recent release of rules from Washington’s Liquor Control Board for the recreational marijuana market, Sen. Ann Rivers is doubling down on her commitment to pass legislation in 2014 that would regulate and license the medical cannabis industry under a separate set of rules from Initiative-502. “The passage of I-502 created a loophole on […]
OLYMPIA… Sen. Ann Rivers lauded the $33.6 billion budget approved Friday by the Senate and House of Representatives. The new operating budget includes $15.2 billion in overall K-12 funding, an 11 percent increase over the previous budget. The budget also prevents higher-education tuition increases by providing funding for Washington’s six public universities and one college, […]
Sen. Ann Rivers said the bipartisan operating-budget adopted by the Senate today would spend more on basic and higher education while addressing the needs of Washington’s most vulnerable citizens, all without raising taxes. The measure passed with a bipartisan 30-18 vote. “The people I represent are having to live within their means; Olympia needs to […]
The medical-marijuana market in Washington is a step closer to being in line with federal standards after the Senate Ways and Means Committee approved Sen. Ann Rivers’ measure Thursday. Voters authorized the medical use of cannabis in 1998 with few sideboards; however, the approval of Initiative 502 in 2013 muddied the waters, according to Rivers, […]
Dear Friends and Neighbors, Although I am your state senator year-round, it is only when the Legislature is in session that I may propose or support legislation to address the needs of our legislative district and state. This week my colleagues and I returned to our state’s capitol for the 2015 legislative session. For […]
Dear Friends and Neighbors, Although the Senate has done everything possible to finish the regular legislative session within the scheduled 105-days, the legislature failed to reach an agreement on a new two-year operating budget by April 26. As a result, Gov. Jay Inslee has called for a special session of up to 30 days to begin […]
When Washington voters approved the sale of recreational marijuana in late 2012, they authorized a tightly regulated, well-taxed industry with a strong public-safety element. Sen. Ann Rivers said today’s Senate vote supporting House Bill 2136 will put the burgeoning market one step closer to meeting those expectations. The measure clarifies the collection and distribution of […]